The present invention relates to pull-tabs, lottery tickets and other self-contained gaming tickets. More particularly, a multiple play ticket is disclosed which, in the preferred embodiment, is protected from fraud through the use of unique validation codes which are not merely a representation of the ticket""s gaming indicia. A validator machine is also disclosed which, in conjunction with a host computer, can validate a player""s ticket, display each of the plays on a monitor or stepper reel and issue redeemable vouchers for winning tickets. The gaming tickets of the present invention can either provide fixed payouts or be used in connection with a progressive jackpot.
The distribution of gaming tickets, such as xe2x80x9cpull-tabsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cscratcherxe2x80x9d lottery tickets, has become an increasingly popular way to allow people to win money or valuable prizes. Typically, a large number of such pull-tab or lottery tickets are printed up by a promoter for distribution to players. Each of these pull-tabs or lottery tickets will have a printed arrangement of indicia on them, such as numbers or fruit symbols, which, under the rules of the game, will correspond to either winning or losing combinations. Generally, a fewer number of winning tickets will be produced for more valuable prizes and a greater number of winning tickets will be produced for less valuable prizes.
In order to enhance the enjoyment of play and prevent fraud, the indicia on the pull-tab or lottery ticket are normally hidden from view at the time the pull-tab or lottery ticket is distributed. In this way, the player will not initially know whether he has drawn a winning or losing ticket. In order for the player to determine if he has a winning or losing ticket, the player must generally pull away an opaque surface on the ticket to reveal the indicia. In the case of a pull-tab, this opaque surface is typically a paper or cardboard pull-tab cover. In the case of lottery tickets, such as popular xe2x80x9cscratcherxe2x80x9d tickets, this opaque surface is a latex or gum-like material which can be rubbed off the ticket using the edge of a coin or the player""s finger nail.
A continuing concern for pull-tab and lottery promoters is fraud. For example, if a player draws a losing pull-tab, he might be tempted to alter or tamper with that losing pull-tab to make it look like a winning pull-tab and then try to redeem it as a winning pull-tab. To deter such fraud, validation codes which are not readily decipherable to the player, such as bar codes, have been placed upon the outside of pull-tabs. In many cases, these validation codes simply identify, in code form, the combination of indicia inside the pull-tab so that if those indicia are altered, the fraud can be easily exposed. Unfortunately, once a player is able to recognize which validation codes correspond to winning pull-tab tickets, particularly a player who can choose from among a stack of pull-tabs, the player might pick for himself only pull-tabs with winning validation codes.
In order to increase the convenience and enjoyment of pull-tab games, pull-tab dispensing and display machines have been developed. One such pull-tab dispensing and display machine is shown in Clapper""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,975. In the Clapper machine, a roll of two-ply pull-tab strips is stored, with each pull-tab ply having an identical set of pull-tab indicia. Upon actuation of the Clapper machine by insertion of the player""s money, the two plies of the pull-tab strip are internally separated with one of the plies being dispensed open-faced to the player and the other ply being kept by the machine for use in displaying the indicia on a monitor and for record keeping purposes.
While the Clapper machine adds a certain degree of interest and convenience to the pull-tab game, it nonetheless has several disadvantages. First of all, since an open-faced pull-tab is dispensed by the Clapper machine and simultaneously displayed, the Clapper machine is classified as an unacceptable gambling machine in many jurisdictions. In the eyes of these jurisdictions, the Clapper pull-tab machine is little more than a video slot machine which simultaneously dispenses a written representation of the video display.
Another disadvantage of the Clapper machine, and of nearly all other existing pull-tab and lottery ticket systems, is that there is only one play per ticket. In a business where it is important to both maximize profits and, at the same time, the returns received by the player, the cost of printing pull-tabs becomes a significant concern. The higher the pull-tab printing costs are, the less money there is to distribute in profits to the pull-tab promoter and winnings to the player.
The present invention provides a multiple play gaming ticket, such as a pull-tab or lottery ticket, and a secure validation system. In its preferred form, the gaming ticket of the present invention is a pull-tab formed of two sheets of a cardboard like material with a peel away section formed in one of the sheets. When the peel away section is peeled away, a unique validation code and multiple plays of arrayed indicia are exposed. In one form of such a pull-tab, the validation code is a unique bar code and the multiple plays are twenty sets of single digit numbers each arrayed in three rows and three columns. In this embodiment, if there are matching numbers along any horizontal, vertical or diagonal line of an array, the play is a winning play.
In its preferred form, the validation system of the present invention includes a combination of a computerized validator machine and a host computer. To operate the validation machine, the player preferably inserts an opened pull-tab into the pull-tab slot. The validation machine then reads the validation code and relays the validation code to a host computer. In the preferred embodiment, there is a unique validation code for every pull-tab which does not merely encode the pull-tab indicia. At the host computer, the unique pull-tab validation code is checked for legitimacy (i.e., proper form and availability) and then correlated to a stored record of gaming indicia for that pull-tab. If the code is validated by the host computer, the host computer sends its approval back to the validation machine along with an electronic record of all the plays for that particular pull-tab. The player is then given the option of having the plays sequentially displayed on the validator monitor or of immediately cashing out. As part of a game display, the validator monitor will show which indicia combinations create winning plays and keep track of accumulated winnings. At the conclusion of play, a voucher will automatically be printed out by the validator which can then be redeemed.
The gaming ticket of the present invention can be used in connection with fixed payouts, progressive jackpots or both. In the case of fixed payouts, the value of a winning combination is predetermined and is typically printed on a payout table found on the outside of the gaming ticket or on the validation machine. Alternatively, the gaming ticket of the present invention can be used to win some or all of a progressive jackpot which continues to increase until claimed by a winner. To add interest, the validation machines at one location can be linked with validation machines at other locations to allow players to compete for large progressive jackpots. In a further embodiment, the validation machines of the present invention can be configured to allow the player to employ gaming skills, such as selecting gaming ticket symbols to be replaced or xe2x80x9crespunxe2x80x9d before a final determination is made about whether the player has won or lost. This xe2x80x9crespinxe2x80x9d feature can also be implemented as part of the gaming ticket itself.